Fire & Water

Only in the glaring light of hindsight does pediatric surgeon Kate Murphy understand that she was groomed for the path shes taken. Raised by a widowed dad and a misshapen, sometimes comical trio of parental surrogates from Murphys Pub, her fathers Irish bar in San Francisco, Kate has never understood how protected she isbut when she learns that her well-meaning family has hidden bitter truths about her mothers mental illness and death, the rest of her family history unravels. Kate is still recovering from her familys deception when she becomes involved with Jake Blooma charming artist different than anyone shes ever known. When she experiences his sculptures on Ocean Beach, she is forever changed; in the months that follow, Jake reveals beauty Kate has never noticed, and exposes her to spontaneity, sensuality, and love deeper than shed imagined it could be. Only Mary KKates hard-edged best friend who doesnt miss a thing and names bull when she sees itis immune to Jakes charms. She sees the potential for danger in Jake, and, of course, she says so. Caught between her newfound passion and her friendship, Kate dismisses her friends warnings. Ultimately, it isnt until she is in too deep, with a daughter on the way, that Kate understands what Mary K feared on her behalf. Fire & Water is a story of navigating the treacherous territory of passionate love, friendship, and family devotionand of how love is always a matter of life and death.